Program Description
Crime & Coffee
Talk history and crime with fellow true crime lovers over a hot cup of coffee. Each month, participants will be presented with a true-crime case to discuss as a group. Expect multiple points of access to each case, from books, ebooks, and audiobooks to true crime podcasts, documentaries, and more. Then join library staff for coffee and snacks as we discuss the details. Whether you like to read, listen, or watch—or all of the above!—there's an option for everyone. Learn more about library-led book discussions »
Event Details
Prescription for Pain by Philip Eli
This haunting and propulsive debut follows a journalist's years-long investigation into his father's old classmate: former high school valedictorian Paul Volkman, who once seemed destined for greatness after earning his MD and his PhD from the prestigious University of Chicago, but is now serving four consecutive life sentences at a federal prison in Arizona. Volkman was the central figure in a massive "pill mill" scheme in southern Ohio. His pain clinics accepted only cash, employed armed guards, and dispensed a torrent of opioid painkillers and other controlled substances. For nearly three years, Volkman remained in business despite raids by law enforcement and complaints from patients' family members. Prosecutors would ultimately link him to the overdose deaths of 13 patients, though investigators explored his ties to at least 20 other deaths. This book is based on 12 years of correspondence and interviews with Volkman. Eil also traveled to 19 states, interviewed more than 150 people, and filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit against the Drug Enforcement Administration that led to the release of nearly 20,000 pages of trial evidence.